In the year 2000, 5.5% of South Africans had diabetes and 4.3% of deaths, an equivalent of 22 412 deaths, were attributable to diabetes, making it the 5th highest cause of death in the country.[3] The high mortality rate noted in patients with T2D is directly proportional to the incidence of various comorbidities associated with modulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as insulin resistance and obesity.[5,6] The prevalence of obesity surged from 19.7% to 23.6% between 2008 and 2017, with a significant increment in prevalence for those aged 19 to 24 years. The gene discussed is REN; the disease is diabetes mellitus.